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HIGH SCHOOL HOSTS BLACK MALE LEADERSHIP SUMMIT

In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Fox Chapel Area High School’s Black Student Union (BSU) hosted a Black Male Leadership Summit on January 19. The speakers, all influential Black community leaders, included past Fox Chapel Area High School assistant principal Howard Bullard, former University of Pittsburgh football player Cameron Saddler, and Aliquippa Mayor Dwan Walker. Fox Chapel Area High School graduates William Generett III (who helped found the Fox Chapel Area High School BSU) and Carrington Vaughn also participated in the event.
Topics addressed included the unique strength of Black male leaders, the Black male perspective, and developing a sense of community.
According to junior Safiyyah Muhina, the BSU executive chair, activities such as this are important because they allow everyone of all backgrounds to be exposed to Black excellence.
“I hope students, especially Black males, gained a sense of pride,” she says. “But as for everyone, I hope they learned new things about what it means to be a Black leader.”
Senior Roman Mason, student government president who also served as the event moderator, hopes the forum was impactful for students.
“A lot of us are privileged, and many don’t even realize it,” he says. “The speakers opened up my eyes to how other people live and to understand that there’s another world out there.”
According to Fox Chapel Area High School’s BSU sponsor, teacher Shannon Finley, it is important to build awareness of students’ broad array of career opportunities.
“I hope the students are inspired to use their gifts and talents to lead the charge in whatever it is they are called to do. There are so many students with talent and knowledge, and I hope this allows them to see how this will help them become successful leaders. There were businessmen, politicians, coaches, athletes, students, and social justice activists sitting in the room, all sharing how they can come together from different backgrounds and lead. I hope my students are able to one day do the same.”
DISTRICTWIDE TELETHON RAISES NEARLY $96,000
Fox Chapel Area School District held its 33rd annual telethon December 22, raising $95,863. This brings the total money raised by Fox Chapel Area students and staff to more than $1,121,493 for various local and regional charities. The telethon raised money for the local organization Fox Families Care and involved students from all six schools in the district. Student, teacher, parent, and community representatives participated in the telethon by making donations. A broadcast of the telethon can be watched on the Swift Fox Media YouTube Channel at www.youtube.com/@
SwiftFoxMedia
The telethon was coordinated by the Fox Chapel Area High School Student Government and the digital media production students of the high school, who plan and produce the event.



Fox Families Care is an organization that works to bridge the gap between the needs and resources of children and families in the Fox Chapel Area School District. The group invests in the needs of local children and works directly with the district in conjunction with other strategic community partners.
Donations were generously matched through December 23 by JENNMAR, Tamco Inc., Norman Ray Trust, and the Cleveland Family Foundation.
